A lost art kept alive – leather working in Chicago

Sep 24, 2012

a peek behind the scenes at the Chicago School of Shoemaking

On Sunday at Renegade, Sara (the genius behind the Chicago School of Shoemaking) stopped by my booth and introduced herself. Elated at the concept of an actual shoe-making school, I figured she would be just the person to ask for some lessons in strap-making with leather. She was generous enough to invite me over to her studio for a couple hours of individual instruction.

So I Tuesday I donned my new apron and Sara helped me narrow down how to choose the right weight leather and measure accurately for folding a strap. Then she helped me learn how to accurately and efficiently skive (shave) the edges before the seam is folded, glued and sewn. It gave me an even deeper appreciation for the tremendous amount of love and patience it takes to work with leather. The natural texture and versatile malleability of this precious material was so inspiring!